Fin arrangement



March 31, 1954 c. c. MITCHELL ETAL 3,126,857 I FIN ARRANGEMENT Filed June 18, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I

COLIN CAMPBELL MlTCHELL KARL HINSCH R\CHARD GEYER Jn vemor s aww AT ORNEY March 31, 1964 c. c. MITCHELL ETAL 3,126,857

FIN ARRANGEMENT Filed June 18, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I III/1| couhl CAMPBELL MITCHELL KARL HINSCH RlUiARD GEYER Jnvenfars ATTORNEY March 31, 1964 c. c MITCHELL ETAL 3,126,857

FIN ARRANGEMENT Filed June 18, 1962 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 cotm CAMPBELL MITCHELL KARL HINSCH RICHARD GEYER Jn venfars ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,126,857. Patented Mar. 31, 1964 Germany Filed June 18, 1962, Ser. No. 203,202 7 Claims. (Cl. 114-126) The present invention relates to fins and control surfaces for use in vehicles, particularly ships and aircraft. More particularly, the instant invention relates to a control surface arrangement incorporating a control surface which is hinged about a pivot and which is positionable, with respect to the direction of the stream of air or water flowing past the control surface, by means of a hydraulic rotary vane type drive that is coaxial with the shaft of the control surface.

There exist arrangements of the above type in which the pivot about which the control surface or fin can be hinged so as to allow the fin to be moved between a retracted position in which it lies within, or substantially within, the hull of the ship or aircraft and an extended position in which the fin lies in the air or waterwithin which craft travel, is connected to the housing of the rotary vane drive which serves to control the fin. The longitudinal axis of the pivot is transverse to the shaft of the rotary vane drive, which itself forms the shaft of the control surface or is coaxial with and fixedly connected to this shaft. In such an arrangement, the rotary vane drive itself forms the transverse pivot for the fin and must, therefore, be built sufficiently robust to enable the drive to work even when it is subjected to the maximum transverse loads. Consequently, a special construction capable of meeting the requirements of the installation has to be provided; furthermore, the rotary vane drive has to be very large and heavy.

In order to relieve the rotary vane drive of the transverse forces which will inevitably arise during operation, it has been proposed to mount the control surface or fin on a hollow hub which is fixed to the hinge pivot and to control the fin by means of a shaft passing through the hub, the outer end of which shaft is fixedly connected to the fin and the inner end of which shaft is fixedly connected to the inner component of the rotary vane drive. The drawback of this arrangement is that it still occupies considerable space, in addition to being not readily accessible for servicing and maintenance work.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement which overcomes the above disadvantages, and, with this object in view, the present invention resides in an arrangement whose rotary vane drive is neither encased within a hollow hub of the pivot nor is it subjected to transverse stresses, which arrangement, however, is far more compact and more easily serviced than heretofore known control surface arrangements which are both adjustable and capable of being swung back into the hull of the craft.

structurally, an arrangement according to the present invention comprises pivot means arranged on the craft and turnable about a given pivot axis, a shaft fixedly connected to the pivot means and having a shaft axis which is transverse to the pivot axis, the latter being so oriented on the craft that the shaft may be swung between a position wherein the shaft extends through the medium in which the craft travels and another position in which the shaft is substantially out of the medium, a fin mounted on the shaft for rotation relative thereto about the shaft axis, and a rotary actuator device for turning the fin about the shaft axis, this actuator device having two components both of which are aligned with the shaft axis, one of these components being fixedly secured to the pivot means and the other of the components being connected to the fin. As a result, transverse stresses to which the fin is subjected are taken up by the shaft and the pivot means but not by the actuator device.

According to a preferred embodiment, in which the craft is a ship and the fin is a stabilizer, the actuator device is, as described above, a rotary vane drive whose two components are inner and outer components, respectively, it being the outer component which is connected to the inboard end of the fin while the inner component is the one that is secured to the pivot means.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of a fin arrangement according to the present invention.

FIGURE la is a longitudinal sectional View through the fin and the shaft upon which it is mounted.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in FIG- URE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line III III of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line IVIV of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, through a transversely elastic coupling device of the type which secures the outer component of the rotary vane drive to the fin.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGURES 1 and 2 show a compartment 1 of a ships hull 2 within which the portions 3, 4, of a pivot means are turnably mounted in bearings 5, 6, respectively, for swinging about a vertical pivot axis. The control surface is a stabilizer fin 7 which is arranged transversely to the axis of the pivot means and is turnable about a horizontal axis. FIG- URES l and 2 show the fin 7 as being in its extended position wherein the fin is located in the water in which the hull 2 floats, it being possible, however, to swing the fin about the vertical axis of the pivot, in a clockwise direction and through an angle of into a retracted position wherein the fin lies within the compartment 1. Movement about this vertical pivot axis can be effected by means of arms 8. FIGURE 2 also shows an abutment 9 fixed to the hull 2 and engaged by the leftwardly extending part which rotates with the pivot thereby fixing the extended position of the fin 7.

As shown in FIGURE la, the fin 7 is rotatably mounted, by means of bearings 10, 11, on a shaft 12 which itself is carried by, and fixedly secured to, the pivot. The pivot also has attached to it, such as by screws, the inner component 13 of a rotary vane drive, whose outer component 14, shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, is connected to the inboard face 16 of the fin 7, i.e., the end of the fin which is directed toward the hull 2. As shown in the drawings, the inboard end of the fin is spaced from the pivot. Both of the components 13, 14, of the rotary vane drive are aligned with the axis of the shaft 12, i.e., the two components are, in fact, coaxial with the shaft 12 and are arranged in the space between the pivot and the inboard end of the fin 7. The connection between the fin 7 and the component 14 is effected by means of coupling devices 15, shown on an enlarged scale in FIGURE 6, which include resilient cushionings so as to afford a transverse elasticity. The outer component 14 is surrounded fluid-tightly by a cylindrical housing 17. One axial end of the housing 17 is fixedly 3 screwed to the inboard end face of the fin 7, while the other axial end carries a seal, such as a packing ring 18, which slides on a cylinder 19 screwed to the pivot. For the sake of clarity, this cylinder 19 is shown in FIG- URES la and 3 only.

As shown in FIGURE 5, the upper portion 3 of the pivot is hollow and contains the feed and return lines for the hydraulic pressure medium which operates the rotary vane drive which turns the fin 7 about the horizontal axis of the shaft 12. The feed and return lines communicate with respective horizontal bores, shown in dashed lines, leading to the non-rotating internal component 13 of the rotary vane drive, whereat they communicate, via transverse channels, with annular channels 20 and 21. The latter are connected via short cross channels (not shown) with the pressure chambers 22 of the rotary vane drive.

Also passing through the hollow pivot portion 3 is a mechanical transmission 23 which serves to transmit to a point exteriorly of the pivot an indication of the angular position of the fin 7 relative to the shaft 12. The input end of this transmission is connected to a pinion 24 which is in mesh with a gear sector 25 connected to the outer component 14 of the rotary vane drive, i.e., the component which is movable together with the fin 7. The transmission passes through the hollow portion 3, the output of the transmission being connected to the control element of a pump (not shown) which delivers the pressure necessary for operating the rotary vane drive.

It will be seen from the above that the transverse load or stress to which the fin is subjected is taken up, via the bearings 10, 11, by the shaft 12 which, in turn, is firmly connected to the pivot. In this way, the actuator device which positions the fin 7 on the shaft 12, i.e., the components 13, 14, of the rotary vane drive, will not be called upon to withstand such transverse stresses.

The purpose of the transversely elastic coupling devices is to protect the parts against excessive rotational stresses, as well as to prevent undesired rotation of the components 13, 14, relative to each other.

Thanks to the fact that the hull-side or inboard end of the fin 7 is connected directly to the rotatable outer component of the rotary vane drive, the entire arrangement may be made very compact. Furthermore, the construction allows the fin '7 to be removed very easily, from the outboard side, from the other component parts which are fixedly attached to the ship.

The above-described fluid-tight enclosure of the outer component 14 of the rotary vane drive makes it possible for the interior of the control surface, the outside of the rotary vane drive, and all of the parts pertaining to the transmission 23 including so much thereof as is located within the hollow pivot part 3, to be surrounded by oil. If this oil is kept under sufiicient pressure, water and moisture may be kept out of the system; moreover, the pinion 24 and gear sector 25, as well as the bearings 10, 11, will be lubricated.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes, and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A fin arrangement for a craft, comprising, in combination:

(a) pivot means arranged on the craft and turnable about a pivot axis;

(b) a shaft fixedly connected to said pivot means and having a shaft axis which is transverse to said pivot axis, the latter being so oriented on the craft that said shaft may be swung between a position wherein said shaft extends through the medium in which the craft travels and another position in which said shaft is substantially out of the medium;

(0) a fin mounted on said shaft for rotation relative thereto about said shaft axis and having inboard and outboard ends, said inboard end being spaced from said pivot means; and

(d) a rotary vane drive for turning said fin about said shaft axis, said rotary vane drive having inner and outer components both of which are aligned with said shaft axis and both of said components being arranged in the space between said pivot means and said inboard end of said fin, said inner component being fixedly secured to said pivot means and there being means for detachably connecting said outer component to said inboard end of said fin, whereby transverse stresses to said inboard end of which said fin is subjected are taken up by said shaft and said pivot means but not by said rotary vane drive and whereby, upon detachment of said fin from said outer component of said rotary vane drive, said fin may be removed from said shaft without requiring disassembly of said rotary vane drive.

2. A fin arrangement as defined in claim 1, further comprising a housing surrounding said rotary vane drive, said housing having one axial end connected to said inboard end of said fin and having its other axial end in sealing relationship with said pivot means.

3. A fin arrangement as defined in claim 2 wherein said pivot means carries a cylinder coaxial with said shaft and wherein said other axial end of said housing carries sealing means in engagement with said cylinder.

4. A fin arrangement as defined in claim 1, further comprising means extending through said pivot means for mechanically transmitting to a point exteriorly of said pivot means an indication of the angular position of said fin relative to said shaft.

5. A fin arrangement as defined in claim 4 wherein said transmitting means include a gear sector connected to said outer component of said rotary vane drive, a pinion in mesh with said gear sector, and transmission means connected to said pinion and passing through said pivot means.

6. A fin arrangement as defined in claim 4 wherein said rotary vane drive is surrounded by a housing, and wherein the interior of said fin, said housing surrounding said rotary vane drive and the interior of said pivot means through which said transmitting means extend are filled with oil.

7. A fin arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein the craft is a ship and said fin is a stabilizer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,210,935 Giliberty Aug. 13, 1940 2,784,692 Ballesteros Mar. 12, 1957 2,848,971 Kollenberger Aug. 28, 1958 3,036,540 Gregor May 29, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 502,627 France Feb. 25, 1920 825,134 Great Britain -Dec. 9, 1959 

1. A FIN ARRANGEMENT FOR A CRAFT, COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A) PIVOT MEANS ARRANGED ON THE CRAFT AND TURNABLE ABOUT A PIVOT AXIS; (B) A SHAFT FIXEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID PIVOT MEANS AND HAVING A SHAFT AXIS WHICH IS TRANSVERSE TO SAID PIVOT AXIS, THE LATTER BEING SO ORIENTED ON THE CRAFT THAT SAID SHAFT MAY BE SWUNG BETWEEN A POSITION WHEREIN SAID SHAFT EXTENDS THROUGH THE MEDIUM IN WHICH THE CRAFT TRAVELS AND ANOTHER POSITION IN WHICH SAID SHAFT IS SUBSTANTIALLY OUT OF THE MEDIUM; (C) A FIN MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT FOR ROTATION RELATIVE THERETO ABOUT SAID SHAFT AXIS AND HAVING INBOARD AND OUTBOARD ENDS, SAID INBOARD END BEING SPACED FROM SAID PIVOT MEANS; AND 